Lost and Found
by mad-but-happy
Summary: COMPLETE! This is one of those rare FJ stories. Please don't skip the story because you disagree with the pairing. I know it's hard, but TRY and be open to other people's opinions. This takes place after the events in the final episodes of the anime.
1. Windows

Author Notes: I know I am fighting an uphill battle by writing a F/J fan fiction… I know F/J isn't a couple that everyone agrees on, but that doesn't mean don't read my story. Pardon me for going against the norm, but that's just the way I am.

Everyone makes Jet out to be this old man, or something. Jet is only 30 something years old. Yes, he's bald, but that doesn't make him old.

This is a romance fan fiction between F/J. I'm a follower of the "Spike died, get over it" cult. Therefore, please do not flame me; I warned you in advance. Please leave reviews if you like it! Don't leave reviews if you're going to bash F/J. Get a hobby instead. Grow up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

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Lost and Found

Chapter 1: Windows

Jet walked slowly up to the cathedral. Spike had been gone two days, and Jet was positive as to where he was. Spike was dead, there was no denying that, but Jet wouldn't believe it until he saw him with his own eyes. Maybe, by some miracle, Spike had managed to survive. Spike had been near death numerous times, but he had always managed to get through it in the end. Maybe this time he would pull it off again. Maybe this time Spike would spring back to life, acting like nothing was wrong… but no…

"_Not this time_…" thought Jet. "_Spike is gone_… _Spike is dead._"

"Jet?" came Faye's voice, more of a whisper then a question, "Are you sure it's safe for us to go in there? Members of the syndicate might still be in there, and-"

"Spike would have come looking for me if _I_ had gone in there." Jet interrupted. "I'm not abandoning my partner just yet… lets find out what happened to him..."

Faye let out a heavy sigh. She had been a lot quieter since Spike had left. First she had yelled at him, then she had fired a gun, and then she had cried for several hours. After that, however, she had sunk into a quiet depression. It wasn't exactly a depression, though. It was more of a "sad understanding". Like Jet, she had figured out why Spike had decided to go. Like Jet, she had realized that Spike was leaving of his own free will, and that she had no right to stop him or tell him to stay. And still, even after figuring all this out, Faye had become rather secluded. Jet couldn't blame her, though. He felt exactly the same way as she did.

"Be on your guard…" Jet mumbled to her. Faye simply nodded.

The cathedral doors creaked open slowly. They were heavy, and broken, and let out a load creaking noise that echoed throughout the building. Jet looked immediately at the large stain glass window that was looming up ahead. It was shattered in some spots, dirty, and was emitting very little light, but something about that window made the cathedral seem holy. If this was a good thing or a bad thing, Jet never figured out. As his eyes scrolled slowly downward, his sight became transfixed on a stiff and solitary figure laying on the steps.

There was Spike. Dead, cold, and bloody.

"Spike!" Jet heard himself bellow. His voice echoed off the walls, and his footsteps scratched noisily on the cold stone steps. "Spike… no…" he mumbled.

Jet kneeled down next to him. He flipped him over, revealing the terrible wound that had killed him, and gently laid his head down on the ground. Jet sat quietly, not knowing exactly what to say, then let out a long, agonizing groan of acknowledgement. Faye, who had not made a peep since they had entered, let out a single, heartbreaking wail. Jet heard her swear between sobs, cursing Spike and damning him to hell, but Jet was completely numb to feelings at the moment. His grief seemed to be beyond tears.

"That… stupid… thick… son of a…" Faye continued, kicking over a piece of rubble on the floor, "How… could he… DAMN IT!" Faye finished. Jet finally turned around, his eyes resting on Faye's angry face.

"Help me pick him up, will you?" Jet blurted. His voice sounded unsurprised and emotionless. He walked down the stairs and sat down on the bottom step. "We need to bury him, or something. We can't just leave him here to rot."

Faye, who had finally stopped crying, looked at Jet with the utmost disgust. She stormed over towards him, with one hand stretched angrily towards his neck, and grabbed the collar of his shirt in a thoughtless fury. She pulled him upward, strengthened by her own rage, and yanked his head roughly so that it stopped inches from her face. She looked as though she could tear his beard off with her teeth.

"HOW CAN YOU?!" She bellowed, her echo causing dust to fall from the ceiling, "HOW CAN YOU PRETEND THAT NOTHING IS WRONG?! WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE SUCH A HEARTLESS, MINDLESS, SON OF A BITCH?!"

Jet just stared at her. Tears began forming in her eyes. The grip she had on Jet's collar had loosened. Her twisted and angry face suddenly became softer. She no longer looked angry, but instead she looked sad. Her arms fell limply to her side. She looked at her feet, almost ashamed of what she had done, and simply wept to the ground beneath her.

A terrible feeling suddenly rushed over Jet. Seeing Faye like this had seemed to finalize it. Jet felt tears running down his face, but he didn't know exactly where they had come from. Spike was gone, and he wasn't coming back. His partner was gone, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm… sorry…" Jet managed to whisper. He looked up at the ceiling, drowning in his own grief. "I'm just… I…" He couldn't finish his own sentence. He began to choke pathetically while fighting back his tears. Like Faye, his arms fell limply to his side.

"No… I'm… being…" Faye began. She looked up at Jet, who looked downward at her. "Oversensitive…" she concluded.

Jet gazed at Faye, his eyes meeting with hers, and suddenly felt another feeling rush over him. It wasn't sadness, it wasn't anger… it was pity. Jet felt bad for Faye. He wanted to do something about it… anything… so he did the only thing he could think of at the moment.

Slowly, Jet moved forward and wrapped his arms around her body. To Jet's surprise, she leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. She was no longer moving, and she was no longer crying. She simply leaned against him, closed her eyes, and relaxed her entire body. This made Jet feel better (at least he had done something to help), and he sighed in relief as he rested his chin on her head. After a minute or two, Faye pulled away. She avoided looking at Jet, much to his dismay, and walked slowly over towards Spike's dead body. Jet followed suit, and the two lifted Spike away from the bloody ground.

With that said and done, the pair carried Spike out of the cathedral. After flying him back to the Bebop, they wrapped his body, almost mummy like, and released him into space. After they had said a few words, and after Faye had drifted off to another part of the ship, Jet leaned his head against the glass of the window and let out a deep, lonely sigh.

"I hope you found what you were looking for…" he whispered.

Well, that's the end of Chapter 1. Leave reviews!


	2. Conditions

Author Notes: This is the second chapter in my story. I hope it's as good as the first one!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

**Lost and Found**

Chapter 2: Conditions

Jet had awoken extra early the next morning. His leg, still recovering from a bullet wound, ached and stung as he moved about the kitchen. While cooking over the stove, Jet glanced at the corner where Ian's dog bowl still sat. Jet chuckled quietly to himself, and turned his eyes back to his cooking.

"I wonder how those two are doing?" he mumbled to himself.

"Who? What?" said Faye, as she entered the steamy kitchen.

"Edward and Ian..." said Jet, pointing over to Ian's vacant dog dish.

"Oh, t-t-those two?" Faye yawned, stretching her arms towards the ceiling, "I'm sure those two are fine... Ed may be crazy, but she's not dumb."

Jet nodded in agreement. It was strange having a normal conversation with Faye. Usually he was either fighting with her, yelling at her, or telling her to do or don't do something related to bounty hunting. This morning was different, however. This morning they were talking like they had known each other for years.

"What the hell is that?" said Faye, sniffing the contents of the skillet.

"Special... eggs." Jet answered.

"Eggs _again_?" groaned Faye, her shoulders slumping at the thought, "Just how many eggs did Ed's dad give you, anyway?"

Jet didn't answer, but let out a sarcastic snort. Faye strolled out of the kitchen, mumbling under her breath, and walked back to her room to get changed. Jet walked over to the cabinet, humming the tune that Spike use to hum, and pulled down some dishes for them to eat their breakfast on. Faye suddenly reappeared, wearing that tight leather outfit she always wore ("_How does she get into that_?" thought Jet), and walked over to get herself some unwanted eggs. Faye stopped, however, and looked at Jet with shock.

"Why did you...?" she gawked, "Why did you take out four plates?"

Jet was taken aback. He looked at the pile of plates on the counter and, sure enough, he had taken four.

"Huh? Oops! Just a habit." He explained. Faye just stared at him questionably.

The pair took their eggs into the living area, sitting across from each other on the yellow sofas, and ate the contents of their plates in silence. Jet was about to get up, having finished his food rather quickly, but stopped when he saw Faye staring at her unfinished food.

"Look, Faye, I know you're sick of eggs, but it's all we got." Jet snorted. Faye looked at him in surprise.

"No, it's not the eggs... it's..." Faye leaned up against the back of the sofa, her eyes were transfixed on the table. "I wanted to know something..." she finished. Jet remained rooted to the floor.

"Well... since Ed and Ian left on their own..." she started, looking a little bit gloomy, "...and since Spike is gone, too... I guess... since you and Spike just put up with me because you had each other... I guess you want me to go now, too...huh?" she ended.

Jet stared at Faye, who refused to look away from her eggs, then put his plate back on the table. He sat down on the sofa again, finally managing to make Faye look at him in the face, and crossed his legs as he made himself feel comfortable. Faye looked a little concerned, folding her hands on her lap, and stared transfixed at Jet as she awaited his decision. Jet sank into the cushions, making the springs creak under his weight, and scratched his head as he finally came up with an answer.

"Before I answer you, you have to answer me." Jet started. Faye looked at him in surprise. "What do _you_ want to do?" he asked, pointing his finger at Faye, "Do you want to stay, or do you want to go?"

Faye looked shocked, but the shock soon turned to shyness. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red, something that didn't happen to her very often, and she turned her face away from Jet, refusing to look at him as she gave him her reply.

"I... I have nowhere to go... or anyone to go to..." Faye explained, her folded hands rubbing together in embarrassment. "Ever since I was unfrozen in that hospital, I've been totally... totally alone..."

Jet gawked at her as she stood up. She turned her back to him and stood next to the sofa. She didn't want to face him directly, as she wasn't use to sharing her feelings with anyone she met on a regular basis.

"Even though I have my memories back, they aren't doing me any good..." she continued, "In all these years... this ship... this ship was the closest thing I had to a home..." She paused and swayed back and forth nervously. Jet merely watched her as she let out a long, heavy sigh.

"You, Spike, Ed, and Ian... you four were the closest thing I've had to a family in years..." Faye continued. She turned around to face Jet while she spoke. Her cheeks were still blushing, but she looked at him with a totally determined face.

"I-I don't want to lose my home again!" she suddenly spat. Jet jumped up in surprise. "I-I want to stay here! I-I really do!"

Faye stood like a statue. Her face was, if possible, even redder then it had been before. She had her fists clenched at her side, and she stared at Jet pleadingly. Jet didn't know what to say to this, since Faye wasn't usually this open with her feelings, so he resorted to staring at her blankly and scratching the top of his nose.

"Well..." Jet began, finally coming to a decision, "I guess, if you really want to stay..." He shrugged his shoulders in surrender. Faye looked absolutely delighted.

"However-" Jet continued, braking the smile on Faye's face, "If you stay here, Faye, a few things are going to change. No more running off, stealing, or lying about everything. All the work, and all the bounty, is split 50/50; right down the middle. If you break those rules, Faye, you're going to have to leave. Do I make myself clear?"

Faye nodded in agreement. Jet was surprised that she didn't put up a fight.

"Partners, then?" Faye asked, stretching out her hand to close the deal. Jet hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was planning anything life threatening, then lifted his hand towards hers to finalize the truce.

"Partners." he answered, shaking her hand.

_Well, that's the end of Chapter 2. Leave reviews!_


	3. Theodore Viper

Author Notes: This is chapter 3!! does a dance But seriously, read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

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Lost and Found

Chapter 3: Theodore Viper

The next few weeks on the Bebop were both interesting and chaotic. Faye had certainly changed for the better, having followed her end of the deal unusually well, but Jet discovered quickly that Faye was still her usual self. She no longer ran off, stole, or lied to Jet about everything, but Faye was still loud, sarcastic, and brutally honest. This part of Faye (her personality, not her actions) was the part that Jet was having trouble adjusting to. There was just no dealing with that woman sometimes.

"Faye! I told you to flip the pancakes! Now they're all burned to the pan!"

"You did? Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"But you said you would do it! I heard you!"

"I did? Oh, sorry. I forgot."

"Didn't you see the smoke, Faye?! At least you could have smelled it!"

"Sorry, I didn't."

"Well, I hope you're happy! Now we have no breakfast!"

"What?! No food?! Why?!"

"BECAUSE YOU BURNT THE PANCAKES!"

"I did?"

"Oh, for the love of…"

Jet waved his arms in the air as he attempted to fan the fumes away from his face. He emerged from the smoke filled kitchen, coughing up a lung as he did, and stormed into the living area where Faye was watching T.V.

"Hey, Jet. They got a new bounty show…" Faye told him casually. "It's just about to start… maybe there's something worth going after…"

Jet rolled his eyes, still wondering if Faye had heard a word he said, and sat down on the couch to watch the new "Bounty Hunter Hour" that Faye had recently discovered.

"_Hello all you bounty hunters out there! Welcome to the brand new 'Bounty Hunter Hour'; featuring all the new bounties that **you** want to find! I bet all you cowboys out there are wonderin' what we have for you today! Well, since you're wonderin' , we might as well tell you!_"

"This is dumber then the old show." mumbled Faye.

"Quiet." said Jet.

"_Today we have a man named 'Theodore Viper'. For reasons unknown to authorities, Teddy burst into an orphanage on Mars last night, killed every last child in the building, and quickly vanished without a trace!"_

The profile of a man, with black hair and gray eyes, popped onto the screen. He looked skinny, and pail, and had a scar across the left side of his face.

"That's sick." Jet hissed.

"Bastard." growled Faye.

"_Because of this outrageous slaughter, the government of Mars is offering a whopping 100 million wholongs for his capture_!"

"WHAT?! WOW!" said Jet and Faye.

"_Theodore may have vanished from the orphanage, but authorities believe that he is still hiding in the Mars ginza district. If not for the money cowboys, do it for the children._"

"That's definitely worth our time." said Jet, turning off the T.V with his foot. "Besides, I can't let some sicko like that run free."

"That's a pretty big reward, though." sighed Faye. "It'll be a miracle if we reach him first."

"Might as well try." Jet shrugged. "If we get him, we could take a break for a while."

Jet stood up and stretched his arms. After a quick butt scratch ("_Jet! That's gross_!" yelled Faye), Jet dragged his recently shot leg into the Bebop's control room. After setting the Bebop on autopilot, Jet flung himself in front of his computer and began pin pointing the location of the so called "ginza district". Jet also decided to check his police buddies for any untold information. When they didn't have any relevant info to give, Jet decided that visiting the orphanage before the ginza wasn't a half bad idea.

Meanwhile, Faye was readying a large pile of weaponry for them to use. Jet was amazed at how many guns Faye had managed to find. When Jet asked her why she had decided to prepare so many, she laughed out loud and threw him a dud grenade.

"Jet, this guy busted into an orphanage and killed a bunch of kids. If he can do _that_ with a straight face, I highly doubt he'll have a problem killing us." she explained.

Jet was forced to agree.

With all the plans made out, and with all the weapons prepared, Mars' looming image was a very welcomed sight. Even though they had just come from Mars (due to the whole ordeal with Spike), they found it very hard to reminisce when there was a 100 million wholong bounty head running around the planet. Infact, ever since Spike had been released into space, Jet and Faye had barely breathed a word about him. Jet didn't mind this, though. He knew Spike wouldn't have wanted him to dwell on his memory. Why should he stop living just because Spike did? It was better just to move on quickly and get on with his life. He would never forget him, of course, but at least he could leave him in the past without regretting anything.

The ship finally landed and the pair exited the ship. Jet took a deep breath of the polluted air, pulling out a map so they could find their way to the orphanage, and slowly walked forward as Faye followed him into the streets. The air was bitter cold, and some kids were running around the alleys kicking a can at one another. After about ten minutes of walking, Jet and Faye turned a corner and came face to face with the orphanage in question.

It was an older building, with pieces of its roof falling off and graffiti written on its side, but the building was cast into shadow due to the ridiculous amount of police cars that were parked out in front of it. Jet and Faye knew immediately that they could never get inside it, so they walked further down the street and drilled the locals for some details as to what exactly happened. After getting a few bleak descriptions, Jet and Faye decided to return to the orphanage and find a talkative cop.

"Honestly, we haven't got a clue about what the hell happened here." said one officer to Jet. "All we know is the security camera inside got a good shot of his face, and we matched his face to someone we already had in the computers. Aside from this incident, the biggest crime this guy ever did was rob a bank on Venus. That's all we know about him at the moment."

Jet and Faye sighed heavily. After a quick glance at one another, they silently agreed to return to the Bebop and try another tactic. As they were leaving, a loud yell came from the inside of the orphanage. Jet and Faye turned around, wondering what had happened, and watched in shock as a cop came running from the building with his arms waving franticly in the air.

"Captain! Captain! We found a kid! He's alive! He was hiding in the closet!" he yelled.

"Alive?!" said Jet and Faye together. They looked at each other with victorious expressions.

"Lets find out what this kid has got to say." Jet smirked. "Coming here wasn't a _total_ waste, after all."

__

Well, that's the end of Chapter 3. Leave reviews!


	4. Rainbows

Author Notes: This is chapter 4!! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

Lost and Found

Chapter 4: Rainbows

The child that emerged was in sad shape indeed. He was rather short and skinny, no older then 5 years old, and had thick brown hair that needed to be brushed. His big brown eyes were puffy due to crying, and his navy blue sweater and black pants were two sizes too big. In his arms he clamped onto a badly sewn teddy bear. The boy was sad and obviously traumatized. Jet couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It was very hard _not _to after looking him in the eyes. Jet thought, for a fleeting moment, that maybe they shouldn't ask him to relive the details of the previous evening. However, after thinking that, Jet concluded that the only way Theodore would be caught is if they looked for him right away. To do that, they needed leads. This child was certainly a lead, and Jet wasn't about to give him up.

"Hello, little boy." said one female cop to the child. "Are you hurt in any way? Do you need to see a doctor?"

The boy shook his head and squeezed his teddy bear harder. The police in the area were so preoccupied with the boy, Faye and Jet managed to slip into the crowd unnoticed. Nobody spoke as the boy began to say something. Jet felt like he wanted to leave, but the thought of Theodore made him quickly change his mind. He wanted to catch this sicko, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"W-Where is Mandy?" asked the little boy. "D-Did she die, too?"

The crowd around the boy began to babble. Jet listened carefully and heard someone say "_Mandy was the caretaker… we found her in the bathroom_…". Jet felt a rush of pity for the boy. He had lost all his friends, and also his caretaker. He was truly, and honestly, the only survivor.

"I'm sorry, dear, but Mandy died to." said the female cop. "You're the only one that survived... can you tell us what happened?"

Jet felt anger rising in his chest. How could anyone be so insensitive? Here was this boy, traumatized and sad, and all the cops could do was ask him to answer their questions. Jet was curious too, but he didn't want to know if the boy wasn't ready to tell anything. Faye seemed to feel the same way, as well. Jet felt her squeeze his arm and swear rather loudly. That boy had been through enough for the day.

"M-Mandy… is gone?" the boy repeated sadly. Tears began to form in his eyes, and he buried his face within his teddy bear. "T-That man knocked on the door… and Mandy let him in… and they went upstairs… but…but… only he came down…"

The entire street seemed to of silenced. There were no birds, no cars, and no talking. There was only the little boy, his bear, and a large mass of listeners.

"H-He said he was gonna' save us…" the boy continued, "…and h-he took a gun out of his coat…"

Faye and Jet exchanged a fearful glance. They knew what was coming next, but hearing it from the boy made it feel like it was happening to them. How could anyone do that to a child? How could anyone be so cruel?

"H-He was shooting the gun… a-and I went into the closet…" the boy described slowly, "There's a hole in the wall, behind the coats… you can move a piece of the wall then put it back… I hid in there every time we played hide and seek…"

The cop that had found the boy nodded his head. Jet shook his head in pity, and Faye swore loudly for the second time that hour. So that was how he had managed to live…

"He looked in the closet, actually…" said the boy, "…but…but he didn't know about the hole… so… so he didn't see me…"

Jet felt sick to his stomach. He could only imagine how scared the boy must have been. The poor kid, hiding in a hole in the wall, listening to all his friends get murdered…

"I-I was scared… s-so I didn't come out…" whimpered the boy to the police woman. "…b-but then I was found by a police guy… s-so I came out…"

With that, the story ended. Jet was surprised that the boy wasn't crying. Faye scratched her nose, not knowing exactly what to say, and the police woman moved forward to give the boy a blanket. The boy was then put into the back of a truck. Most of the police officers went back to searching the building. A few police officers went over to him once in a while, asking him questions and giving him food, but all in all the boy was left by himself. Because of that, Jet and Faye seized the opportunity to ask him a few questions of their own.

"Hey there, kid." said Jet, leaning down so he was eye to eye with the boy, "How are you doing today?"

To ask the kid "how are you doing" seemed like a stupid question to ask. He was obviously horrible, having gone threw such an ordeal, but Jet didn't know any other way to break the ice. He wasn't normally good with kids, and he needed to hurry incase he was seen by the cops.

"Fine… I guess…" mumbled the boy. He seemed tired and sad, but he didn't seem angry.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, kid?" smiled Jet. Faye stood a safe distance away, watching out for any cops that might notice they were there. The boy nodded slowly, and Jet took a breath.

"The man that did all this… he said that he was 'saving you', right?" said Jet.

"Yeah." said the boy.

"So… did he say what he was saving you from?" Jet asked.

"No." said the boy.

"Did Mandy know the man, or did she just let him in?" Jet pressed.

"He said he wanted to adopt a kid, so she let him inside…" replied the boy.

"Oh… then she took him upstairs to interview him, or something?" Jet sighed.

"Yes." said the boy, "She asks a lot of questions before she lets someone take a kid…"

Jet and Faye both sighed. They felt bad for the kid, but at least he had given them his time. The pair turned to leave, wondering what they should do at the ginza, but were suddenly stopped as the boy shouted for them to come back. Jet turned around, wondering what the boy could possibly want, and Faye continued forward, claiming she would meet Jet back at the ship when he was done talking to 'little kids'.

"Hey, mister! Do you have a ship?" asked the boy. His eyes seemed brighter, and he seemed almost hopeful.

"Um.. Yeah, I do." Jet replied. The boy smiled weakly, and he ran back to the truck. Jet shrugged it off, and he ran quickly to catch up with Faye.

"What did he want?" asked Faye, stopping to let Jet catch his breath.

"He wanted to know if I had a ship." Jet replied. Faye cocked an eyebrow.

"He must like jets…" Faye suggested, scratching her forehead, "He probably figured out you were a bounty hunter, and wanted to know if you had one."

"Yeah, I guess so." said Jet, letting out a sigh. "You know…I feel bad for that kid… but at least he's still pretty young. Over time he may forget about this whole thing…"

Faye only nodded to this. They began to walk back to the Bebop, and Jet pulled out his map again. After another 10 minute walk, Jet found himself staring aimlessly out the window of the Bebop control room. Rain was beginning to fall, and the Mars sky was starting to turn gray. Faye walked over to him, sipping on a soda, and stared up at the sky to see what Jet was looking at.

"Maybe there will be a rainbow later?" Faye smiled thoughtfully.

"Lets hope so." Jet replied, moving away from the sad looking view, "God knows we're gonna' need it."

Well, that's the end of Chapter 4. Leave reviews!


	5. Pillows and Scrap Metal

Author Notes: This is chapter 5! Read it. Peace.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

****

Lost and Found

Chapter 5: Pillows and Scrap Metal

"So, Jet? Where are we going next?"

Faye plopped down on the sofa next to Jet, devouring the last bit of her expired beef jerky, and poked Jet in the arm to get his unconditional attention. Jet looked up, having been engulfed in a rather good book, and sighed heavily as he laid it back down onto the table.

"Faye? Didn't you even listen to the man on the T.V?" Jet grumbled. Faye merely grinned at this.

"No, I didn't" she answered truthfully.

"Faye, you're somethin' else…" Jet mumbled.

"Hey, you told me I couldn't lie anymore!" Faye retaliated.

"Yes, well… next time we make a deal, I'm going to be a lot more specific." Jet replied.

With that, Faye made a huffy noise. She stood up, purposely discarding her beef jerky wrapper on the cover of Jet's book, and walked away with her nose stuck up in the air. Jet picked up his book, tossing the jerky wrapper onto the floor, and opened it up to finish the chapter that he was currently working on.

"If you're wondering, Faye" shouted Jet, pondering if she could even hear him, "We're going to the "ginza district" of Mars. It's on the other side of the planet, so we won't get there for an hour."

"Why do the cops think he's hiding there?" said Faye, startling Jet because she was directly behind him. "Oh, and by the way… I _was_ listening to the show." she finished, picking up a pillow and hugging it against her chest.

Jet, sighed, putting his book back down, and turned around to make sure Faye was actually there. He looked her in the eyes, making a disgruntled face as he did, and stared her down as she fluffed her pillow aimlessly.

"I don't ask questions… I just follow the leads." Jet told her. Faye only smiled at this.

"What's so damn funny?" Jet asked, scratching the top of his head.

Faye looked him in the eyes, giving off an expression that made Jet feel uncomfortable, and lifted her pillow above her head, grinning evilly as she brought it back down.

"You!" she barked happily, slamming the pillow against Jet's face.

Jet wasn't sure how to react to this at first. Feathers were flying everywhere, and Faye was laughing like a complete and total maniac. Jet watched her cautiously, wondering why she had done it in the first place, and sneezed as a feather landed squarely on his nose.

It was at this point that Jet finally snapped. He picked up another pillow, half driven by rage and half driven by revenge, and wailed it as hard as he could, taking Faye completely by surprise, and knocking her backward about two and a half feet.

Faye regained her footing, looking rather offended, and picked up the pillow and chucked it back at Jet. Jet ducked, wincing as he heard the pillow knock over his computer, and stood up to meet Faye, who was now running full pelt to attack Jet with her bare hands. Jet yelped in fear, attempting to get out of the general area, but Faye managed to grab him into a spine cracking head lock. She hung onto his neck, attempting shamelessly to pull him downward into a death match, and shouted angrily, mentioning how Jet should be more gentle with women half his size.

"You started it!" Jet gagged, attempting to free his lungs from suffocation.

"I was joking!" Faye barked, trying with all her might to knock him over.

It was at this point Jet got a brilliant idea. He waddled quickly, being unable to walk, over to the sofa on which he had previously sat. He fell onto to it, making sure that Faye went first, and smashed her with all his body weight into the thick, yellow cushions. Faye swore in anger, shoving Jet so that he was pinned onto his back, and grabbed another pillow, sitting on top of him so she could painfully whomp him once and for all.

Jet put his arms up in defense, trying hard not to imagine how much this was going to hurt, and closed his eyes in anticipation, awaiting the final blow.

Jet, however, was never given the luxury. Instead of smacking him with the pillow and claiming victory over the battle, Faye stopped midair and gave Jet an embarrassed smile. She dropped the pillow on the floor, throwing her head back as she did, and laughed hysterically as though she had planned to do that all along.

Jet wasn't sure what to make of the situation, since Faye was sitting on his stomach and laughing like a moron, but Jet suddenly realized why she was laughing like she was.

This whole episode was totally uncharacteristic of them. If anything, this was the stupidest thing that they had ever participated in.

Considering this realization, and considering the fact that Jet didn't know what else to do, he let out a snort, attempting horribly to suppress his laughter, and howled along side Faye, turning redder in the face then he had in a very long time.

Faye, still laughing, collapsed onto Jet like he was part of the sofa. The pair laughed themselves horse, clamping onto their sides because they were beginning to hurt, and simply laid there until they could laugh no more. Still breathing heavily due to the sufficient lack of air, Jet wiped tears from his eyes, placing his other hand on the center of Faye's back, and patted her gently, silently telling her that they needed to relax.

Faye shifted uncomfortably, resting her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes as she attempted to calm herself down.

Jet sighed, letting out one last chuckle, and opened his eyes to look over at Faye. The two exchanged glances, both feeling rather stupid, and Faye gave Jet a truly honest smile. They were much too lazy to move at the moment.

"Jet…"

"Hm?"

"This never leaves the ship. Got it?"

"Sure thing."

"God… if Spike could see us now… he would die again."

"He would never let us hear the end of it…"

"Yeah…"

Jet and Faye exchanged thoughtful smiles. Jet suddenly realized that he was stroking her on the back. Faye didn't seem to care though, seeing as she hadn't punched him in the balls yet, so Jet continued to do it, feeling unwisely brave with himself at the moment.

It was at this thought Jet suddenly felt uneasy. Here he was, this big, ugly, prematurely balding gorilla, with a beautiful woman, curved to perfection with beautiful eyes, laying on top of him like he was a big old mattress. Sure, she was laying there of her own free will, but still…

CRASH!

Jet and Faye shot upward. Faye looked around franticly, trying to find the location of the noise, and got off the sofa, picking up her gun that was sitting on the table.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered, obviously trying to listen for any more noises.

"I don't know." said Jet, picking up his gun as well.

The pair split up, carefully making their way to opposite ends of the ship. Jet checked the control room, finding nothing but a soda can, and glanced around cautiously, trying not to panic as he looked for the cause of the noise.

"JET!" Faye screamed, making him jump at the sudden return of noise. "JET! COME HERE!"

With that, Jet bolted nervously to the location of Faye's voice. Faye met him half way, waving her hands as she beckoned him to follow her, and raced down the hall, opening the storage room door to show him what she had found.

Inside the dark room there was a shivering heap of blankets. The blankets were surrounded by a pile of scap metal. Obviously, that was where the sound had come from. Jet gulped nervously, wondering what on earth was underneath the heap, and shuffled forward, pointing his gun ahead of him incase it decided to attack. Faye crept forward too, pointing her gun the same exact way, and managed to reach the blankets without anything happening to her. Faye nudged the heap with her gun, letting out a gasp as it began to wiggle, and stared at Jet in a way that made him realize what she was about to do.

She grabbed a handful of the blankets, exhaling as she calmed her nerves, and threw the coverings aside, revealing what was underneath the heap.

There was the boy. Scared, whimpering, and clamping to his teddy bear.

__

Well, that's the end of Chapter 5. Leave reviews!


	6. Uncle Jet

Author Notes: This is chapter 6! Wasn't that cliffhanger on chapter 5 killing you? If not, read anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

Lost and Found

Chapter 6: Uncle Jet

"Ok, kid. Spill the beans."

Jet and Faye sat opposite the boy, both crossing their arms in anger, and both staring at the boy as if he had three arms and a blemish. The boy sat quietly, looking up nervously every once and a while, and wiped his nose on his sleeve, exhaling sadly as he finally decided to answer.

"I-I didn't wanna' go back…" said the boy, looking at Jet with his pathetic weeping face. "I don't wanna' be in an orphanage anymore… I wanna' be a cowboy like you."

Jet let out a groan, running his hand down the front of his face, and glanced over at Faye, who was tapping her foot repeatedly, looking as though she were bored with the whole ordeal.

"I thought you were a cowboy… and you said you had a ship…" continued the boy, "…so I got Boo from the truck and followed you down the street…"

Jet cocked an eyebrow, figuring that 'Boo' was the name of his teddy bear, and leaned forward towards the boy, trying exceptionally hard not to lose his temper.

"Look, kid…" Jet began, speaking heavily threw clenched teeth, "I don't really care what you're planning to do with your future, but following someone and sneaking aboard their ship is not only illegal, but totally stupid."

Faye jabbed Jet in the arm, giving him a 'you're being insensitive' face, and leaned forward to talk to the boy herself. What good this would do, Jet couldn't tell, but the boy seemed to be a lot less scared of Faye then he was of Jet. This made Jet feel a whole lot better. At least the kid respected his elders.

"So, you don't want to be in an orphanage anymore, right?" asked Faye, giving the boy a weak smile.

"No… I hate it." said the boy, looking a little disgruntled.

"So you ran away and now you want to be a cowboy, am I right?" Faye repeated, pinching him on the cheek.

"Yes." said the boy, giving her a smile.

"How about you sit here, then, and I'll go talk to Uncle Jet about it?" Faye cooed.

Jet flinched at being called "Uncle Jet", but was suddenly grabbed and forcefully lead into the kitchen. Faye peeked around the corner, making sure the boy wasn't listening, and turned back to Jet, leaning against the counter and grinning as she did.

"Jet, maybe we should let him stay for a while." Faye whispered.

"What?! Why?!" bellowed Jet.

"Because, Jet, we could scare him out of it…" Faye grinned, pulling Jet's ear to make him speak a bit quieter.

"If we let him stay a while, and let him see how much bounty hunting sucks, he'll be _begging_ us to bring him back to the orphanage…" Faye said, peeking around the corner for the second time that conversation.

"If we just dump him off somewhere, I'll have a guilty conscious for the rest of the week." Faye continued, tapping the top of her head. "Besides, Jet, Edward was a kid, too. I'm sure this kid can't be _half_ as much trouble as _she_ was..."

Jet let out a sigh. Faye was right, as hard as it was to admit, and dropping the kid off at an orphanage would make Jet feel guilty as well. He had been through a lot in the past few days, and disappointing him even further would certainly leave a scar.

Jet sighed in defeat, cursing himself for being born with sympathy, and exited the kitchen with the biggest fake smile he could possibly muster.

"Hey… uh… What's your name, anyway?" asked Faye, kneeling down on the floor next to him. "We've talked to you a lot already, but we don't even know what your name is."

Jet sat down on the sofa roughly. Having spent so much time with Edward, and due to the fact that he was in such a bad mood, Jet half expected the boy's name to be 'Sally', or something that wasn't related to human beings.

"My name is Jacob." said the boy, looking at Faye rather proudly, "My bear's name is Boo. I named him myself!"

The little boy held up his bear, and Faye stood up to move next to Jet.

"Well, Jacob, my name is Faye Valentine." she told him, jabbing herself with her finger. "You'll do well to remember that name, kid, cuz' I'm bound to be universally famous one of these days."

Jet rolled his eyes. The boy nodded happily.

"Anyway, kid…" Jet interjected, successfully managing to piss Faye off again, "Faye and I have decided to let you stay on the ship for a while. If you behave yourself, and don't bother me in anyway, we'll let you stay on the Bebop forever and ever. Got it?"

The boy bounced on the sofa with excitement. Between bounces he managed to holler "Thank you! Yes! Thank you! Yes! Thank you!", but Jet wasn't listening. He scratched his nose absentmindedly, wondering why he didn't call the ISSP right away, and made a mental note never to give that kid any sugar, seeing as he had plenty of energy already.

"Ok, that's settled, then!" Faye grinned, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "We're almost at the ginza district, right? You can help us look for information. The guy we're after killed all your friends and that Mandy girl, right? So if you work _really_ hard, Jacob, we can put him into jail."

Jet sighed heavily. Babysitting wasn't exactly a favorite hobby of his, but at the same time he was reluctantly impressed. Not only with Faye's terrific acting, but also with the boy's positive attitude. If Jet had gone threw something like that, he would have _never_ been smiling the very next day. Jacob was only 5 years old, but for a kid his age, he was a pretty good fighter.

"I'll work really, really hard!" Jacob sang, still bouncing around with absolute glee, "I'll be a good boy, too! Really, really good!"

Jet let out a grin, standing up to head to the control room, and patted Jacob on the head as he passed, causing him to bounce even more, and causing Jet to suddenly dislike him all over again.

Jet sat in the pilot's chair, suddenly realizing that the ginza district was directly below them, and clicked the controls onto manual mode, letting out a sigh as he looked for a place to land.

"Well, at least he finally stopped crying." said Faye, entering the control room without the kid. "Who knows… maybe he might actually do something useful?"

Jet huffed at this, preparing the ship to land on the water, and turned to Faye as he pulled back the controls to steer the ship downward.

"Lets just hope we find out where Theodore is." Jet grumbled, "That 100 million wholong reward is hard enough to get already… now we have a kid to look after."

Well, that's the end of Chapter 6. Leave reviews!


	7. The Art of Killing

Author Notes: This is chapter 7! After this chapter, there are only a few more to go. Stick around for the ending, it's gonna' be good!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

****

Lost and Found

Chapter 7: The Art of Killing

Jet and Faye shuffled quickly throughout the crowded streets. The ginza district, as it turned out, was a giant shopping area full of people. It was famous for its many shops, various shop items, and endless accounts of criminal activity.

"Where the hell do we start?" Faye asked, dragging along Jacob by the hand, "There's got to be a thousand stores in this place, and we don't even know what the hell we're looking for!"

Faye ducked into an ally, grabbing Jet to pull him in as well, and lit a cigarette to smoke, sighing heavily as she exhaled the tobacco.

"Well, we need to look for some 'shady' stores." said Jet, taking the cigarette that Faye had offered him, "There's a few iffy looking bars around here, too… Maybe we should split up and meet back here in an hour?"

Faye nodded at this, handing Jet her lighter so he could light his cigarette, and looked down at Jacob, who was still clamping a handful of Faye's shorts, watching excitedly as a fight broke out near by.

"Who gets the kid?" asked Jet, exhaling the cigarette smoke and cocking an eyebrow. "He can't go into a bar, so whoever goes to the stores has to take him along..."

Faye smiled cunningly at this, finishing the last bit of her cigarette, and flipped her hair out of her face as she turned to walk away.

"Since I just gave you a cigarette, you have to take the kid." she sang, vanishing into the crowd.

"Bitch." said Jet, flicking his cigarette onto the ground.

Jet took Jacob's hand again, reentering the mass of shoppers and shoplifters, and walked up and down the street , finally deciding on a rundown looking store he found lurking in an ally way.

The door had bars on it, giving it a criminal appeal, and featured karate paraphernalia in the window, some of which seemed like they were stolen from military personnel. Jet looked up at the name, wondering if he had ever heard of it, and nearly fell over when he saw a sign reading, "_The Art of Killing: The finest art indeed_". Jet would have laughed, seeing as the store was obviously not friendly, but when Jacob tugged his hand and pointed to the door, Jet opted for entering instead.

"Hello, there!" said a fat, bearded man, polishing a grenade on the top of the counter, "How are you doing today?"

Jet nodded at the man, wondering how polishing explosives could possibly be safe, and lifted Jacob onto a chair, kneeling down so he could look him in the eyes.

"Jacob, you sit here and wait till' I'm done." said Jet, standing to walk away. "And make sure you don't touch anything, okay? I don't have the money to pay for your hospital bills…"

With that, Jet walked over to the man.

"Hey, there…" said Jet, leaning against the counter. "You hear about that massacre over at that orphanage? Terrible killers these days, don't ya' think?"

The man simply shook his head, placing his grenade into a box, and leaned against the counter to talk to Jet more quietly.

"Oh, no, my friend, not a killer…" grinned the man, making Jet feel uneasy, "…an artist, he was… a true-blue Picasso…"

Jet cocked an eyebrow, wondering how many beers it took to fry his brain like that, and came up with a plan, knowing the man was bound to know something that could be useful to him and Faye.

"Yeah, you're right." said Jet, faking a gaze of admiration, "That guy, Theodore Viper, he's really a cut above the rest… Actually, I want to meet the guy… I like how his mind works... I want to tell him how _artistic_ he is…but sadly…"

"What?" asked the shopkeeper, obviously fooled by Jet's lying, "If you really want to tell him, then why haven't you sought him out yet?"

Jet smiled triumphantly.

"Well, you see…" Jet continued, feeling like an actor, "…that's _exactly_ what my problem is… I heard on T.V that he was hiding over here in the ginza district, but when I came here to go and praise him, I realized that I didn't know where he was hiding!"

The shopkeeper's eyes widened with glee. Jet knew that the man had his answer, but he pretended quickly that he wasn't expecting a single thing. The shopkeeper reached underneath the counter, pulling out a rather moldy looking map, and laid it out for Jet and him to look at. Jet tried as best he could to look both shocked and confused, but the thought of the 100 million wholong reward couldn't help but make him smile.

"Well, sir, you came to the right store!" said the man, twisting the end of his beard with his finger, "You see, Theodore is one of my best costumers, not that I have a lot of costumers to begin with, but I know for a fact that he lives in this building over here…"

The shopkeeper pointed to the corner of 7th street and Gerrie, and rolled up the map to put it back underneath the counter. He got himself another grenade, spitting on it as he began to polish, and smiled at Jet happily as he waved good-bye to him from the door.

"Oh, and one more thing!" said the man, stopping Jet and Jacob as they exited, "He lives in a two story building… the bottom floor is a bar, I think."

Jet thanked him again, grinning from ear to ear in victory, but suddenly stopped dead as another thought drifted across his mind.

Hadn't Faye said she was going to a bar? What if she had gone to the one with Theodore in it? Would she be smart enough to wait for Jet, or would she barrel upstairs and take him on alone?

"_She would go_…" said a voice in Jet's head.

"Shit!" said Jet aloud.

With that, Jet picked up Jacob and bolted out the door. He ran down the crowded street, knocking over several people as he did, and looked around hurriedly for a sign that read '7th Street' or "Gerrie". After a few minutes of searching fruitlessly, Jet finally spotted the streets that he had been looking for. As the shopkeeper had said, there was a two story bar standing on the corner. Jet put down Jacob, taking him by the hand, and cautiously pushed the door open. Jet was relieved to see that nothing had seemed to gone on, but just to be sure, Jet approached the mad looking bartender and got his attention away from his beer.

"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering…" started Jet, flinching at the look the guy had given him, "Have you seen a young woman in here? She has a yellow leather outfit, dark purple hair, and a pair of rather large breasts… I need to talk to her, you see…"

The bartender nodded, making Jet's gut do a back flip, and pointed to the stairs that led up the second floor of the bar.

"Yeah, she went upstairs with the owner a little while ago." he said, leaning in to whisper his info to Jet, "You may want to knock first, though… they may be getting a little action…" he laughed, winking at Jet and grinning.

Jet instantly panicked, knowing that the only action upstairs would be the firing of a gun, and dug into his coat pockets frantically, looking for some wholongs he could give to the bartender.

"Hey, buddy…" panted Jet, shoving the money in his face, "If you watch my… uh… son here for a minute, I'll give you all the money that I have here…"

The bartender took hold of the money, counting it quickly and shoving it into his pocket, and grabbed Jacob over the counter, lifting him onto the other side and handing him an apron.

"Be good, Jacob!" Jet shouted, bolting across the bar and barreling up the stairs.

"Yes, sir!" Jacob called back, wiping off a dirty mug.

"_How can she be so stupid_?!" thought Jet, wincing as his bullet wound throbbed from all the running, "_I told her not to run off anymore, and not to do anything stupid, and the idiot comes here and pulls off a stunt like this_!"

Jet reached the top of the stairs, panting as he approached a single, wooden door, and grabbed his gun from his pocket, pressing his ear against the door so he could hear what was going on.

Just then, the door swung open. Jet, taken by surprise, fell forward and hit the ground with a thud. Jet looked up, expecting to see the barrel of a gun, but instead he saw Faye Valentine, her arm locked firmly into the arm of Theodore Viper.

"J-Jet!" she gasped, looking absolutely shocked to see him, "Uh… What's up?"

Theodore's eyes moved from Jet to the gun, and Jet stood up quickly, shoving the weapon back into his pocket. Jet rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, and smiled stupidly as he bowed to Theodore and Faye.

Jet wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he was sure that he had screwed up big time. He thought up an excuse quickly, gulping as he saw Faye word '_what the hell_' without actually speaking, and resorted to laughing full heartedly and looking around the room.

Faye just shook her head in pity.

"Oh, I'm sorry… uh… sis!" Jet lied, waving his arms in the air, "I came looking for you so we could go home, and the bartender said you had come up here…"

Faye got the message, and smiled at Theodore apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Teddy, but my brother is rather stupid sometimes!" Faye smiled, squeezing onto his arm affectionately, "He can't tell the difference between a nice man like you, and some rapist who puts drugs in my beer!" she finished, fluttering her eyelashes as she did.

Theodore smiled weakly, having bought the story for the most part, and took Faye's hand in his, lifting it to his lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he said, kissing her hand like she was royalty. "Remember where I said to meet? Be there at 8:00pm."

Faye giggled and nodded at him, and took her hand away from his. She grabbed Jet by the sleeve, dragging him roughly down the staircase, and waited impatiently as Jet got Jacob back from passing out a Bloody Mary.

Jet exited the bar, carrying Jacob on his shoulders, and smiled sheepishly at Faye as she turned around and glared at him. Faye stormed angrily down the street, turning around every once in a while to shoot Jet a dirty look, and stalked furiously into the Bebop, only voicing her rage once Jet put Jacob down onto the sofa.

"Smooth move, dumb ass!" she finally spat, causing Jet to laugh in embarrassment, "You're lucky I managed to think something up! Honestly, what did you think I was going to do?!"

Jet blushed slightly, looking down at the ground, and mumbled a pathetic "Sorry". Faye rolled her eyes, collapsing sleepily onto the yellow sofa, and rubbed her forehead wearily. Jacob found his teddy bear, yawning loudly and scratching his face, and skipped away to another part of the ship, singing a song that he had heard in the bar.

"Oh, sit down you stupid oaf…" she grumbled, pulling out a cigarette from her cleavage, "I've got some details you might find interesting, so sit down and listen or I'll rip your other arm off."

__

Well, that's the end of Chapter 7. Leave reviews!


	8. The Truth

Author Notes: This is chapter 8! The story is nearly over… hang in there till' the end!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

Lost and Found

Chapter 8: The Truth

"I can't believe it…"

Jet rubbed his forehead sleepily, and glanced over at Jacob. The boy was eating ramen, ignoring completely the conversation that was going on between Jet and Faye, and stood up to throw away his garbage, yawning loudly as he vanished into the kitchen.

"You mean to tell me," Jet sighed, looking up at Faye, "That Theodore Viper killed all those kids because one of them was a love child that he didn't want to exist?"

Faye nodded slowly, putting down her ramen on the table, and glanced over at Jacob, who was exiting the kitchen and walking towards the bathroom.

"He told me that his old girlfriend had birthed a kid by him, but she didn't tell him about it at all…" Faye sighed, looking somewhat older, "She put the kid in an orphanage, hoping Theodore wouldn't find out…but he did…"

Jet only sighed at this. He couldn't believe the cruelty that some people possessed.

"He told me that he 'killed the liar', and then he went after his kid." Faye smiled weakly, acting as if she were recalling a terrible dream, "He said he wanted to 'save the kid from the cruelty of living', and 'free him from the pain of life'… He didn't know which kid was his, so he took his gun and shot them all..." Faye sighed, putting her feet onto the table. "This guy is absolutely crazy. I don't know what happened to him when he was a kid, but whatever it was, it wasn't good."

Jet shook his head in disbelief. He scooted over as Jacob returned from the bathroom, and gazed at Faye sleepily, not knowing exactly what to make of the situation. Jacob sat on the sofa and yawned loudly again. He rested his head against Jet's shoulder, and closed his eyes slowly. Squeezing his teddy bear in his arms, he fell asleep almost instantly, breathing heavily and smiling about a dream.

"I managed to get all this info out of him because I got him slightly drunk…" Faye laughed, taking a puff of her cigarette, "He said that if I wasn't a liar he would like to go out with me tomorrow night… I thought it would be the perfect set-up, so I told him I would come…"

Jet chuckled lightly at this, and leaned his head against his hand. He closed his eyes in tiredness, since he had been running around like a maniac the entire day, and briefly thought of all the children, screaming and running… getting shot and slowly bleeding to death on the floor…"

"Jet, you ok?" said Faye, who was now two inches from his face.

"Yeah…" he sighed, gazing down at Jacob. "… just disgusted. That's all…"

"You know…" said Faye, looking over at the child, "We're supposed to be scaring the kid out of all this, but if I didn't know any better, I would say he enjoyed himself today…"

Jet nodded slowly, stroking the little boy's hair, and let out a little smile, wondering if he should move him somewhere or wake him up instead.

"You want to keep him, don't you?" said Jet, looking at Faye with a large bit of sympathy, "I can't blame you, though… he's a pretty good kid."

Faye looked a little shocked at this, but quickly chuckled knowing she couldn't lie.

"Why not?" she whispered, kissing the boy on the cheek, "I wouldn't mind having him around… It's your ship, though, so it's up to you if you want to let him stay."

Faye stood up and walked away. Jet looked down at the boy, thinking fleetingly of what it would be like if he would stay, but pushed the idea out of his head immediately. He had a mission to plan tonight, and he wasn't letting some kid get him sidetracked from 100 million wholongs.

The night came and went in a flash, and Faye shook Jet awake as she readied herself for her 'date'. Jet rubbed his eyes in disbelief at first, not knowing how he had let himself fall asleep like that, but was suddenly slapped back into reality as Faye spun around to show off her outfit.

She was wearing a white strapless dress, the skirt ending just before her knees. She had her hair made up in a simple looking bun, looking a lot like the bun that she had worn on other bounty hunting occasions, and had on her usual white heels, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, lets hope I can chase him in this…" said Faye, clicking on the bracelet she used to call her jet '_The Redtail_', "I already read you plan, and it seems pretty simple, but I don't think we should take this guy lightly… Look what he did to those kids, after all."

Jet looked over at his computer, which had his plan flashing readily on his screen, and stood up to go to the bathroom, completely forgetting that Jacob was leaning on his arm.

"Jet! Watch it!" said Faye, shoving him back down, "Move him over, or something… if you make him fall like that he'll wake up and cry."

Faye walked gracefully into the kitchen, mumbling something about the stupidity of men, and exited the room with a purse, waving good-bye as she walked out the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" asked Jet, looking over at his partner.

"Shopping, duh." said Faye, waving her purse in the air. "My date isn't until 8:00pm, so take the kid to a zoo, or something."

With that, Faye exited the Bebop. Jet let out a sigh, looking over at his battle plan again, and shook Jacob awake so he could give him something to eat.

"Huh… Where's Faye?" asked Jacob, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Shopping…" mumbled Jet, looking for some aspirin.

Well, that's the end of Chapter 8. Leave reviews!


	9. The Death of a Child

Author Notes: This is chapter 9! This is the next to last chapter, so you won't have to read much longer. These chapters will be a little bit longer then the other 8, since more stuff happens in these chapters then the others, so make sure you take a potty break before you start reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

****

Lost and Found

Chapter 9: The Death of a Child

The plan was simple, but it was also risky. Faye was suppose to meet Theodore for a 'stroll in the park' at 8pm. During this stroll, Faye was to eventually lead Theodore to a overview near the end of the park. At this point, Faye would distract him by making him look out over the ocean. When his back was turned, and when Faye set off the signal (a fake sneeze into the communicator Jet planted on her bracelet), Jet would fly his jet '_The Hammerhead_', over top the pair. He would then drop a net, trapping Theodore while Faye jumped aside, and Faye would call over her own jet from the Bebop, lifting up Theodore with the pincers and carrying him to the police station.

"Please! Please!" begged Jacob, tugging on the end of Jet's shirt, "Please! Please! Can't I go?"

Jet looked down at Jacob with pity, feeling bad for having to leave him behind, but taking a 5 year old on a mission like this was not only dangerous, but foolish. If something during the plan went wrong, there could be gunfire and fighting between the rivals. Jet still wanted Jacob to feel wanted, though, so he came up with a brilliant idea to keep him occupied.

"Jacob," said Jet, fixing up his extra gun, "you have a very important job to do while Faye and I are gone."

Jacob looked up with excitement, and Faye poked her head out of the kitchen to see what the hell Jet was talking about. Jet handed Jacob a gun (a lot safer then bringing him along, Jet figured) and picked him up to put him on the sofa, moving his bear so he could sit down next to him.

"Your job, Jacob, is to guard the Bebop." said Jet, patting him on the head, "That gun you're holding is to be left on the table and remain untouched… That is, unless someone bad tries to break into the ship. In that case, Jacob, shoot them in the gut, alright?"

Jacob put the gun down on the table, and saluted Jet like a military solider. Jet heard Faye snicker near by, and turned around to give her a dirty look. Faye, however, was already half way out the door. Jet sighed heavily, walking towards the docking area, then entered the cockpit of his ship, turning on his communicator and flying towards the park.

"Faye, you there?" asked Jet, landing behind the trees next to the overview.

"Yeah, I'm here." said Faye, who was at another part of the park.

"Ok, then." said Jet, rubbing his hands together greedily, "This is the moment we've both been waiting for. It's 8pm in 5 minutes, so stick to the plan and we'll have this in the bag."

Jet hummed to himself happily, the reward money seeming closer after every minute that passed, and when 8pm finally arrived, Jet waited patiently for Faye to meet up with Theodore.

Theodore, however, never showed up.

"That ass-hole stood me up!" bellowed Faye, making Jet's speakers rattle and shake, "It's already 9:30pm, and that bastard is nowhere to be found!"

Jet could have laughed, seeing as Faye was down right offended, but the thought of his reward money slipping away… well, that kept the grin off Jet's face, that was for sure.

"We'll just have to go to his house and get him there, then…" said Jet, trying to sound optimistic, "It's not like we don't know where he is, you know… Stay there a minute, Faye, and I'll come and pick you up."

Faye mumbled swear words the entire ride back to the Bebop, and hopped out of the Hammerhead angrily when they finally returned. She took the ribbon out of her bun and let her hair hang freely, and she stalked off ahead of Jet, voicing her opinion on how all men should be castrated.

"Faye, chill out…" said Jet, finally being able to laugh about it, "You don't even like him, you idiot, so what's the big deal?"

Faye didn't answer, so Jet merely shrugged.

"Women…" he mumbled, heading back towards the living area, "They get pissed off about the stupidest shit…"

Jet approached the opening in the wall that lead to the living area, but stopped when he saw Faye blocking the entrance. Jet cocked an eyebrow, walking forward to see what was wrong, but stopped when he saw what it was Faye was looking at.

Theodore Viper was standing by the yellow sofa. He was holding Jacob's arms behind his back, prohibiting him from moving in any way, and had his free hand holding a gun, pointing it at the back of Jacob's head.

"I was wondering where you were!" laughed Theodore, shooting them a smile, "I've been waiting here since 8pm, but you two were off strolling in the park, or something."

Jet felt Faye grab onto his arm. Jet wanted to lunge forward, freeing Jacob from the danger, but Theodore was no stranger to killing. In particular, little kids.

"Please, let him go…" said Jet, taking a single step forward. "He's a kid, man… just let him go. He hasn't got anything to do with this…"

Theodore laughed loudly at this, hardening his grip on Jacob's arms, and turned his head towards Faye, who looked as though she were about to vomit.

"My dear, sweet, Faye…" said Theodore, giving her a wink, "I figured you were a bounty hunter, considering the way you questioned me last night…"

Faye's grip on Jet's arm grew harder. Jet would have cried out in pain, seeing as her nails were digging into his skin, but he decided on remaining completely still. Any wrong move could get Jacob killed.

"I wasn't as drunk as you thought I was," Theodore continued, winking at her again, "I followed you three from the bar, and I saw you come to this piece of shit you call a ship…"

Jacob starting crying, and Theodore laughed loudly into the air. Jet started sweating, trying desperately to think of anything he could do.

"When you two left, I had no trouble getting inside here." said Theodore, looking around the room, "This boy here tried to shoot me, but he wasn't brave enough to pull the trigger…"

Faye let go of Jet's arm, taking a deep breath, and took a step forward, readying herself to ask Theodore a question.

"What do you want?" she asked, clenching her fists at her side, "Do you want to get our money, or do you want to 'free us from the pain of living', or whatever it is you believe…"

Theodore laughed loudly again, and tapped the gun's barrel twice on Jacob's head. Jet could have killed him easily, seeing how he was enjoying torturing the kid, but Jet couldn't think of anything to do. Time was ticking, and the gun was fully loaded.

"Yes, that is correct…" said Theodore, looking rather pleased, "I will kill this child at his prime, thus stopping him from having to grow up into an adult. You see, the happiest times of your life happen to you when you are a child. Why make this child grow up into a miserable adult? Let him die young so that he has nothing but happiness to look back upon… Do this child a favor, and save him from the misery of living..."

Jet and Faye exchanged glances. Faye stared hopelessly into his eyes, silently begging for Jet to come up with an answer, but Jet couldn't think of anything at all. Faye seemed to pick this up, and closed her eyes as she tried to think. She turned her head to look back at Theodore, taking a gulp and opening her eyes, and looked around the room for a moment, obviously trying to come up with a plan.

Just then, Faye got an idea.

"Spike!" she shouted, pretending to stare at a person behind Theodore, "Spike! Get his gun! He's going to shoot Jacob!"

Theodore turned around, falling for Faye's deception, and Jet lunged forward, grabbing Theodore's arm and moving the gun away from Jacob's head.

The two men struggled, Theodore being a lot stronger then he looked, and Faye grabbed Jacob, shoving him towards the kitchen and telling him to hide.

Just then, Theodore shot the gun that he was struggling to keep. Jet thought he was dead for a moment, figuring the gun was pointing at him, but when Faye let out a painful yell, Jet knew instantly who the bullet had hit.

With all his might, Jet tackled Theodore to the ground. The gun fell from his hand, and it landed on the floor next to him. Theodore kicked Jet in the gut, causing him to fall backwards a bit, and Theodore grabbed his gun, pointing it at Jet's upper body and pulling on the trigger.

Jet rolled aside, not having a gun at the ready, and barely missed a bullet, which shot past him and went flying into the wall. He crawled behind the sofa, jumping in shock as another bullet whizzed past his head, and reached frantically for his gun, pointing it at Theodore as he came running to the other side of the furniture.

The two men stared each other down, their guns pointed directly at one another's heads, and stood there waiting motionless, assuming that the first man to move would be the first one to receive a bullet.

Jet knew what he had to do. The thought of bounty money flew freely from his mind. This guy was a killer, and a complete and total maniac. He killed innocent children, and he killed anyone else who he felt like he should kill. He had shot Faye, tried to shoot Jet, and almost shot Jacob in the back of the head. Jet couldn't let this guy live, and Jet wouldn't let himself be killed by someone so emotionless.

Just then, a gun went off.

Jet hadn't pulled the trigger, and neither had Theodore. Despite this fact, Theodore fell painfully onto his knees. He dropped his gun, coughing as blood spat from the inside of his mouth, and fell onto his face, bleeding all over the floor and taking his final breath.

Jet stood up, panting and trying to process what had just happened, and turned around expecting to see Faye, the bullet wound having not been something fatal.

When Jet turned around, however, he did not see Faye.

What he saw was little Jacob; his face was angry, but tears were running down his cheeks. He was still pointing the gun up in the air, and was panting heavily as though he had just run a 50 mile marathon. Jet stared in shock, not knowing what to say, and Jacob dropped the gun on the floor, finally realizing what he had done.

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Well, that's the end of Chapter 9. Leave reviews!


	10. Home

Author Notes: Ok, I know F/J isn't the 'normal' pairing you see in Cowboy Bebop stories, but don't post stupid reviews about how you don't agree. Everyone makes Jet out to be this old man, but he's only 30 something years old. Yes, he's bald, but that doesn't make him old.

This is chapter 10! The final chapter in the story! I had a really hard time writing the ending for this story, since I wanted it to be believable, so I really hope you like it and I hope you aren't disappointed. Peace.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters. Therefore, I remain poor and unemployed.

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Lost and Found

Chapter 10: Home

Having to fly Faye to the hospital was the most nerve-racking thing that Jet had ever done. The shock that Jacob had given him was incredible, but seeing as Faye was bleeding to death on the floor of his ship, Jet didn't have time to sort that matter out.

Faye had been shot directly in the stomach, according to the doctor that had operated on her, but because Jet had managed to get her there so quickly, they managed to close her up before she lost too much blood and died. This was a very big relief to Jet, having just barely gotten over the death of Spike, so Jet returned to the other matter at hand, which was the fact that Jacob had shot and killed a grown man.

At first, Jacob would just cry. He kept repeating endlessly how he was a 'very bad boy', and that he shouldn't be allowed to be a cowboy because you weren't suppose to kill the people you were going after. After a while, though, he realized that he had done something very brave. The kid had managed to save all their lives, in the long run, so eventually Jet convinced him that he had done something very good. Jet didn't lie to him, of course, because the kid _had_ done something very good. If Jacob hadn't killed him then Jet would have done it anyway. The man was trying to murder them, so they had to murder him first.

"What's that proverb Faye always says?" thought Jet aloud, lifting Jacob onto his shoulders, "Oh yeah- 'The first rule of combat is: Shoot them before they shoot you.'"

After seven weeks of recuperating in the hospital, Faye was finally able to go home. Jet went to pick her up, leaving Jacob with one of his old ISSP buddies ("_You need me to do **what**_?!" he had said), and quickly strolled towards the hospital, picking up some flowers for her on the way.

Jet entered the hospital, signing in and heading towards Faye's room, and knocked on the door of room 223, smiling weakly as Faye opened the door.

"Ready to go?" said Jet, handing her the flowers.

"I've been ready to leave since I got here." Faye sighed, walking slowly towards her half packed suit case.

Jet looked around the room, waiting for Faye to finish packing, and smiled as he saw the 'Get Well' card that Jacob had made for her. He took it off the dresser, laughing at the badly drawn picture of Faye, and put it into her suitcase, pointing at it as she turned around to see what Jet had been laughing about. Faye looked at it and smiled, picking it up to read it, and grabbed Jet's flowers from the bed top, smelling them and packing them away in her bag.

"You know Faye," grinned Jet, leaning against the door, "I still can't get over that trick you pulled on Theodore. You totally saved our asses, you know."

Faye smiled weakly at this, wincing in pain as she moved around the room, and began to put on her shoes, leaning down with great difficulty to zipper up her heel-boots.

"You know, Jet…" Faye sighed, abandoning the effort to get on her other shoe, "I thought I got over Spike a while ago… but after I did that thing with Theodore…I realized… maybe I never really did?"

Spike stared at her questionably, noticing how sad her eyes looked at the moment, then suddenly came to a realization, moving forward so he could stand himself in front of her.

"You liked him, didn't you?" Jet smiled, feeling unexplainably disappointed.

"Yeah… a little…" Faye admitted, finally getting on her other shoe.

"Maybe in another life?" Jet joked, trying to change the expression on her face.

"Just not in this one." Faye smiled weakly, slowly standing up.

With that, Faye began collecting her things again. Jet shrugged it off, figuring she probably felt better now that she had that off her chest, and watched Faye silently, thinking fleetingly of how tired and sick she was looking at the moment. Obviously, being shot in the stomach was not something to be taken lightly, but thanks to the advancements in surgeries and medicine, Faye was able to get on her feet a lot quicker then Jet had anticipated.

It had been strange being alone on the Bebop, having to wait 7 weeks for Faye to get out of the hospital. Jet had Jacob to look after, of course, having decided to let him stay on the Bebop forever, but Jacob wasn't the same as having Faye. There just seemed to be a heavier air when she wasn't around to annoy him.

"_You missed her, stupid_." said a voice in Jet's head, making Jet feel incredibly dumb, "_Yeah, I did_." he admitted to himself, watching Faye shove the last of her stuff into her bag.

"Hey, Jet…" Faye mumbled, not turning around to face him.

"Huh?" said Jet, getting slapped back into reality.

"Thank… Thank you." she said, letting out a sigh.

"Thank you?" repeated Jet, scratching his forehead thoughtfully, "Thank you for what?"

Faye turned around, her expression being softer then Jet had ever seen it, and she walked over towards Jet, stopping as she reached the dresser so she could stand right in front of him.

"Everything, you dumb ass." she said, poking him in the chest. "You gave me a second chance, you know… I don't even think I deserved it…"

Jet recalled his conversation with Faye the day after they had found Spike at the cathedral. He remembered how Faye had asked if she were allowed to stay, and Jet had given her permission to remain on the Bebop. They had made a deal, and shaken hands, and silently taken an oath of friendship. It had been a few chaotic weeks, Jet had to admit, but he couldn't think of having done it any other way. He would have never been able to recover from Spike if it hadn't been for Faye keeping him distracted. Jet didn't want to admit it, but he was growing rather attached to her as of late.

"Honestly…" Jet smiled, patting her on the shoulder, "I'm really glad I did."

Faye turned pink at this, looking up with confusion in her eyes, and Jet smiled bashfully at her, feeling like he was under interrogation.

"What... Why?" Faye asked, sounding somewhat scared.

"Well… uh…" Jet thought, racking his brain for answers, "I guess… It would have been pretty boring if I hadn't let you stay."

Faye simply laughed at this, causing Jet to feel rather stupid, and she took a step forward, still laughing slightly as she gave him a little hug.

Jet felt electricity run threw his body. He felt somewhat nervous, not being use to getting hugged by women that often, and felt his heartbeat rise, looking down at Faye with a face full of confusion.

Jet felt a new feeling though, as he looked down at her, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt like he was accepted… he felt like he belonged… He had always felt somewhat out of place, in his ISSP days and also in bounty hunting, but he had always remembered the way he felt about his old girlfriend. All he needed was for her to be there when he got home, and all the stuff that bothered him would simply melt and wash away.

Jet suddenly realized he felt the same way about Faye. As long as Faye was there, and as long as she was with him on the Bebop, Jet didn't need anything else to look forward to. Sure, she was certainly not the way his old girlfriend had been, but that was something that Jet sort of liked about her. Not the fact that she was loud, rude, and brutally honest, but the fact that she could be that way without regretting anything she ever did. Faye wasn't a follower, and she wasn't a leader. She was a pain in the ass, and a loner in mind… A loner to a certain extent.

"Faye…" Jet sighed, finally hugging her back, "Your home is on the Bebop… not anywhere else…"

Faye just simply smiled at this, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. As she moved away, Jet pulled her back and kissed her on the lips. Faye did nothing at first, probably trying to process what was happening to her face, but after a second she finally gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Jet felt as though he could never feel happier. He melted inside as she moved her lips away. She buried her face into his chest, squeezing him tighter as he kissed her on the head, and let out a grumble about how he smelled like cigarettes, making Jet huff and causing her to laugh.

So, all in all, Jet lost a good partner. He had lost his best friend, and had lost a sense of happiness. But in the end, Jet found something else. He found a meaning that had been there all along. A meaning to live for, and a meaning to wake up with. A meaning to make him smile, and a meaning to make him buy aspirin. It had always been there in front of him, but he had just never seen it before. As bad as Spike's death was, it had managed to bring something good in the long run. It was something that was always there, and something he had trouble finding, but in the end, he had managed to get it. He couldn't ask for anything more.

"So, where are we going next?" asked Jacob, running ahead of the pair. "Are we gonna' go bounty hunting, or are we gonna' do something else?"

Faye let go of Jet's arm, lifting Jacob up onto her shoulders effortlessly, and stopped to look out over the park's ocean overview, smiling at Jet as he stood there beside her.

"Well, right now…" said Faye, turning to walk away, "I just want to go back to the Bebop and take a nap."

Jet walked beside her, ruffling Jacob's hair, and stopped to look behind him, staring at the ocean and letting out a sigh.

"Yeah," said Jet, scratching the top of his head, "Lets just go home."

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Well, that's the end of Chapter 10, and also the story! Leave reviews! Spanks!


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